Update August 13, 2010. A data recovery tool now available: http://wiki.couchone.com/page/repair-tool
if you are running CouchDB 1.0.0 with the default delayed commit setting, you are subject to serious data loss on restart. See this page for instructions how to force all outstanding commits and configure your server at runtime to run in the safer full commit mode: http://couchdb.apache.org/notice/1.0.1.html
The page also includes details of the bug and a postmortem.
0.11.1 and earlier are unaffected. Servers with delayed commits turned off are unaffected. 1.0.1 will be coming shortly that fixes the problem in all configurations.
DO NOT COMPACT THE DATABASE! Compaction throws away any lost updates permanently.
Data recovery is coming. The CouchDB core contributors are working on a utility to reliably recover lost updates, so no data is lost as long the database file is not compacted.
I've got some news I'm extremely excited to finally announce: a merger between CouchOne and Membase!
A little background, I met James Phillips, the co-founder of Membase, for the first time in December. I'd heard a little about Membase up to that point, but I was most impressed with some of their high profile users. For example, Membase is a key part of Zynga, where giving millions of users a fast, low latency experience is critical.
Membase has been targeting large scale mission critical apps, being able to scale out quickly and support millions of users, and getting impressive traction. They'd been going after a very specific pain point, a completely different part of the market than what we were targeting. They've focused on performance and scalability and exploiting all the power and memory available on modern servers. Simple, Fast, Elastic.
At CouchOne we've been focusing on very different problems: mobile, sync and offline use cases. We make it easy to build applications that travel with you, allowing you access to your important data no matter the network conditions. Slow and unreliable connectivity means many businesses can't rely on the cloud for mission critical apps, all their data is gone when their network is down. But with Couch powered apps on your phone, tablet, putting data directly on the machines at the edge of the network, you have your apps and data with you at all times and safely backed up to the cloud. Couchbase!
What James had is the vision to see the great fit between the two companies. While independently we were both doing very well, we both have a lot of growing to do yet. And amazingly, the direction Membase needed to grow, we were already doing very well. And in the direction we needed to grow, Membase was already doing very well. Not only were the part of the stack we were focusing different and complementary, but the way we built out our teams was different and complementary. I'm not sure we could have planned it any better, and we didn't plan it at all!
And so I'm thrilled to announce Couchbase, a merging of both our companies and our technology!
Technologically, we'll be joining the products together to create a high volume, low latency, elastic clustered Couchbase server system. A Couch that's Simple, Fast, Elastic with all the reliability and power of CouchDB. We'll also continue to support the Membase API, for both backwards compatibility and it's performance advantages over HTTP. We will be the only solution out there that can scale to Zynga sized workloads and down to phones and tablets and everything in between, supporting millions of users and keeping everything in sync.
For existing CouchDB users, we will fully support CouchDB's HTTP API with all its associated benefits: seamless integration with other HTTP based infrastructure, a universally supported, human-readable protocol and direct-browser access just to name a few.
Together as Couchbase, we'll have the fastest, most scalable (both scale up and scale down) NoSQL solution. We will become the standard storage for mobile devices, and the standard server technology for syncing them all together. Our unified solution will dramatically simplify your technology stack and maintenance for building fast responsive apps that scale to millions of users, and also scaling down to phones so people can work and play even when not connected to the network.
My role at Couchbase will be CTO, overseeing the technical direction of the company. Dustin Sallings will be the chief architect. Bob Weiderhold will be CEO and co-founder James Phillips will continue to be product-oriented maniac :) CouchOne co-founders Chris Anderson and Jan Lehnardt will take roles to lead our mobile efforts and to work with our developers and community.
What's in it for you?
It's all upside! In the short-term we'll be able to provide a much better developer and support experience for both for CouchOne and Membase technologies, and move the development speed ahead much faster. The long term benefits are that CouchDB users will acquire the high performance, high scale easy-fast-elastic capabilities of Membase, while Membase users will acquire CouchDB's indexing features (map/reduce views, lucene, R-Tree GeoCouch), replication, reliability, and an easy path to mobile.
This is hot stuff! 2011 is the year of Couchbase!
Those awesome Android developers never let up when it comes to the cutting edge. Take the Nexus 7 for example. It rocks the NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor and packs plenty of power. Thanks to a few of our favorite developers and kernel builders we now have it overclocked to nearly 1.7 GHz, and destroying everything on the market in terms of benchmarks. More details to get started yourself below.
Now there’s tons of skilled kernel hackers out there in the world of Android. Franco, Faux, and of course my personal favorite Trinity — who goes by Morfic. While I can’t speak for all of them, we’ve been testing out Trinity Seven (Der Kernel by Morfic) on our Nexus 7 tablets and have been getting amazing results. As you can see above (and below) over 7,000 in Quadrant is nothing to laugh out. That is simply stunning. Not only that, but we get amazing battery life at the same time.
For those familiar with the hacking and modding community, you’ll need to be rooted to perform this type of task. Which I’m assuming most know how to do. After following the development by Morfic over at RootzWiki or XDA and cranking the Nexus 7 to 1.64 GHz on all four cores, it blasts out the competition in regards to benchmarks. We’ve seen Qualcomm’s new S4 Pro quad-core score well over 7,000 too, but it’s not yet available. The Nexus 7 is, and is only $199. Price/performance ratio has truly met its match.
We know you must be thinking that running at 1.64 GHz on all four cores must kill the battery. Yes that is true, but that is why the Trinity Kernel Toolbox lets you control that. Overclock when you’re gaming and want optimal results. Then underclock for everything else. Not only that, but standby usage (when it’s sitting on a desk) has been severely improved. So not only does Trinity kernel offer amazing performance, but you get amazing battery life too. Deep sleep mode means after even 12 hours of awake time you’ll still have plenty of battery left. Just look at the screenshot below. Obviously results will vary.
Running a completely vanilla AOSP version of Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean, rooted, and of course running the Trinity Seven kernel is how these results were achieved. All the details and information is provided at the via link below, or download these faster alpha builds from derkernel.com. The bigger picture here is what can we expect from NVIDIA’s recently rumored 1.7 GHz quad-core processor coming later this year. If developers can achieve this, so can they. When Qualcomm’s S4 Pro arrives later this year, and NVIDIA’s improved Tegra 3 quad-core does too, we expect some awesome competition. More details can be found at the RootzWiki link above, or XDA below.
Today Google has unleashed another huge update for Google Maps. While this update isn’t on the app side that will need downloading, instead it is backend features that will enable their real-time live traffic status alerts and details to an additional 130 cities across the US. That is a huge update if you ask us, and they’ve even included Costa Rica, and Panama City too.
Today on the official Google LatLong Blog they’ve detailed what’s new, and who’s all being updated to enjoy this amazing feature. This is something we can all use in our daily life, and I’m so use to it it’s just second nature for me. Their live traffic features went live in 2008 but they haven’t issued many updates to the service. Today that has completely changed. Here’s a quick video:
Today is a big day for the folks over at T-Mobile, as they’ve just launched a few brand new smartphones for the end of the summer. In case you haven’t been following along their version of the 5.3-inch Samsung Galaxy Noteis available starting today — although it isn’t cheap. They also have a pair of rather decent mid-range budget friendly phones too.
We are expecting Samsung to announce the new Galaxy Note 2 later this month at IFA 2012, but that isn’t stopping T-Mobile from launching the original. It’s been available for almost a year, but now those on T-Mobile can enjoy the 5.3-inch phablet and S-Pen stylus fun of the Galaxy Note. Don’t forget to check out our T-Mobile Note Review.
That isn’t all either. While the Note is a high end, expensive offering, T-Mobile also has the budget crowd covered today too. Starting today they’ll also be selling their latest version of the myTouch. This has been a budget product with T-Mobile for ages, but these new Huawei myTouch phones we’ve also reviewed, the myTouch and myTouch Q, both running Android 2.3 Gingerbread on a 4-inch screen can also be purchased today. They are the same price, only one has a keyboard for those heavy texters.
Available today right this minute is the Samsung Galaxy Note from T-Mobile for $249 after a $50 mail in rebate, or the myTouch and myTouch Q will run you $49 after the same $50 mail in rebate. The Galaxy Note might be late to the party but options are always a good thing, and T-Mobile knows that. Will you be picking one up today?
Nikon is prepared to launch their first Android-powered smart camera according to recent leaks and rumors fromNikonrumors. This isn’t the first time we’ve heard rumors or ideas regarding an Android camera, but this could be the real deal. Reports are suggesting this will be the first of possibly many from Nikon.
Smartphones have pretty impressive cameras, so why do we need a smart camera? The first Android-powered camera from Nikon is set to be the Coolpix S800, and run on Android 2.3 Gingerbread. For now it will be a part of their mid-range point-and-shoot effort (no DSLR here) so the specs are quite average.
Like mentioned above, Android 2.3 Gingerbread is what we’re hearing but that hasn’t been confirmed. The camera will feature a 3.5-inch OLED display. Rumors also state Google Play will be supported, and that 3.5-inch screen can accommodate most Android apps. If I see people playing Angry Birds on their cameras, I might lose my mind.
Then the Coolpix S800 will reportedly come with a 25-250mm lens of unknown megapixels, along with built-in GPS and WiFi — just like all smartphones. I like the idea, but at the same time find this to be pointless and possibly just a fad. Earlier this year other manufacturers showed a similar interest, but we’ve not heard further reports on that. We could see Nikon make a formal announcement on or around August 22nd, so stay tuned.
The little game Motorola started yesterday appears to be going south already. After announcing a mystery 4G LTE smartphone would be unveiled on Friday, they’ve now backtracked on that to clarify that it won’t be a “new” phone, but they will unveil something after all the clues are figured out. So those expecting to see a new device, sorry for the bad news.
Basically this isn’t about a new phone, instead it is about brand awareness. After having a nice little hidden square and asking everyone to “guess the smartphone,” we all figured it was a new device. Why would we guess on something we already know. Either way here’s what they had to say:
Let’s play a game, Guess the Smartphone. We’ll give a clue each day all week and make the big reveal on Friday. I have the power of 4G LTE. Which smartphone am I?
After all the leaks of Motorola’s upcoming DROID RAZR HD, everyone assumed (us included) that we’d be seeing that new smartphone. Today however Motorola has spoiled the fun and changed the tune. Either they’ve decided not to unveil a new smartphone, or they never were planning on it to begin with. Here is the hint from today:
I browse the Web, multitask and power through emails with my 1.5 GHz dual-core processor. And just a note, I’m in market in the U.S. from Motorola already.”
Yup, you guessed it. That would be the Motorola Atrix HD on AT&T — see our review. Motorola’s Atrix HD is a great smartphone on AT&T, especially for $99. Why they are running this little promotional guessing game this late after launch has us confused. Either way an update was in order. Sorry folks, we won’t be seeing the DROID RAZR HD on Friday. We’ll update when we know more on that device, because the Atrix HD is old news.
The International Data Corporation has released its Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker results for Q2 2012, and things are looking great for the little green robot. IDC says that in all, 154 million smartphones were shipped in quarter 2 alone, and of those, 104.8 million were Android handsets. That gives Android a whopping 68.1% market share for quarter 2, and it appears that we have Samsung to thank for that.
That’s because 44% of all Android smartphones shipped in Q2 were manufactured by Samsung. True, that isn’t quite a majority percentage, but 44% is not a small portion by any means. In fact, that number is large enough for Samsung to be able to claim that it sold more smartphones than its seven biggest Android competitors combined. Obviously, the new Galaxy-branded devices introduced recently contributed greatly to this boost for Samsung, so don’t expect the company to lay off the Galaxy line anytime soon.
Android’s success is compared to the number of smartphones Apple managed to ship in quarter 2, which comes in at 26 million. That’s 16.9% market share for iOS, and even though Apple saw double-digit growth in the quarter, IDC points out that it isn’t managing to keep up with the overall market. This means that we may see Apple begin to slip before long, but it doesn’t have much to worry about at the moment – iOS and Android make up 85% of the smartphone market, and Apple’s numbers for the quarter were good enough to put it in a solid (if not distant) second place.
As is usually the case, Android’s growth in the quarter comes at the expense of BlackBerry and Symbian. Both were very popular mobile operating systems at one time, but in Q2, both slipped below 5% market share. Indeed, with BlackBerry sitting at 4.8% and Symbian sitting at 4.4%, things aren’t looking so good for either of them, and if Android keeps growing, they’re likely to lose even more market share.
So, Android is looking great and iOS is still pretty healthy, but everyone else is suffering at the end of quarter 2. Android is likely to keep on growing as time goes on and more and more people begin making the switch to smartphones, so keep it tuned here to Android Community for more news about the robot’s climb to the top!
Google’s extremely impressive voice search feature, Google Now, that was revamped and released with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean is headed to iOS – wait what? Yup, you read that title right. Obviously the entire amazing feature set and “cards” of Google Now won’t be hitting the iPhone, but it comes close and is set to rival Siri on her own playing field.
Today over on the Google Blog they’ve announced that their voice search capabilities on iOS have been revamped to closer resemble those of which Android users now enjoy. Web voice search from Google on iOS has been available for some time, but not to this extend. Nor did it have the awesome speed and user interface of Google Now.
When Google showed off Google Now at Google IO it was rather amazing. The knowledge graph and vocal responses are great, but it won’t tell you a joke. Although I don’t really need it to. Here’s the official video released today from Google:
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To be clear this isn’t Google Now for iOS, this is a new and improved “enhanced voice search” for iOS devices like the iPhone and iPad. Simple things like “How’s the weather in San Fransisco,” or “will it rain today” all work like a charm on Android. While this isn’t available for iOS yet, Google states it is coming soon.
My two questions that I’m sure many of our Android readers also have is: Why would they offer that awesome and impressive feature on iOS too? The answer is very clear though. It doesn’t matter what OS, it’s all about Google Search — as that is their true bread and butter. My second question is when will this be available for all Android devices, not just Jelly Bean. If you want to see all the amazing things that Google Now can do, check out our impressive Google Now hands-on.
The wait for Android users to enjoy features such as mobile check cashing is finally coming to the Bank of America Android app. These features have existed for a long time, especially on that other platform, but anytime this week we can expect check deposit features to arrive for BofA users on Android.
This is nothing new. iPhones have been enjoying this feature for a long time from other banks, and even Chase’s Android app has the feature. Sadly one of the biggest banks in the US still never did. This week they’ve promised updates for Android, iOS, and yes even Windows Phone that will allow smartphone and tablet users the capability.
The feature is rather simple. Just take a picture of the front and back of a check using your smartphone camera and the newly updated app (once it arrives) and then you can instantly deposit the check into your account. They’ll even offer options to distribute the deposit however and wherever you’d like.
According to Mybanktracker the update for Android smartphones should have arrived for Android earlier this week, yet still hasn’t. Bank of America has rolled out this feature for iOS as of yesterday so we are expecting Android to get the update any day now. If using your smartphone to deposit checks from your couch or anywhere is of any interest, stay tuned for an update to arrive soon.
I saw this price and almost had a heart attack. It looks like some select e-tailers now have Samsung’s flagshipGalaxy S III, the quad-core international version available for sale in the 64GB storage option. US carriers opted for the 16 or 32GB flavors, but now those wanting 64GB of storage can get it. Only it will cost you an arm and a leg.
The folks from Mobile Syrup spotted the international 64GB version being offered up for sale for the low low price of $1167 CAD. Basically only $1,172 USD for those interested. Hey, at least we get free shipping right? That price gets you the same 1.4 GHz quad-core smartphone available internationally but with tons of storage, then of course you can also insert a micro-SD card for even more.
This option is rather amazing if you ask me. Why anyone on earth would pay over $1,100 for a Galaxy S III seems crazy to us. Just get the 32GB option with a 64GB micro SD card and you are set. For those that truly need additional storage (for some unknown reason) I guess this will have to do.
As a reminder the US Galaxy S III features a 1.5 GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor, this version for sale is the international flavor with Samsung’s own quad-core instead. We’ve reviewed them both and you can see those links below. Who’s buying?
Samsung is expected to reveal the Galaxy Note II soon, but such a reveal not happening until the end of the month, so there’s plenty of time left for new rumors. This time around we’re told by Korea IT Times that Samsung will be including a 5.5-inch flexible AMOLED screen for the Galaxy Note successor. This screen will apparently be combined with unbreakable plane display technology (UBP) and a plastic substrate, which will allow it to be tougher than your typical smartphone display.
Don’t let the word “flexible” fool you however, as you won’t be able to actually bend the phablet. Using a flexible display will allow Samsung to bend the screen ever so slightly, and with that UBP backing it, it’ll be more resilient than other glass smartphone screens and will also save a bit of space. The new screen reportedly allows Samsung to cut 0.4mm off the total size of the phone, and while that doesn’t seem like anything to write home about, it will be enough to space to house a larger battery than the one found in the original Galaxy Note. Speaking of the original Galaxy Note, have a look at our reviews for the both the AT&T and T-Mobile versions.
We’ve heard whispers of the Galaxy Note II’s AMOLED display before, just as we’ve heard about its UBP tech. It makes sense that the Galaxy Note II will feature a semi-flexible screen, as Samsung has been talking about including such a display in its devices for most of the year. In other words, it seems likely that this rumor is true, but it would still be a good idea to take it with a grain of salt just in case.
We don’t have much longer before we find out about the specs of the Galaxy Note II, however, provided Samsung does indeed reveal it at its event on August 29. We’ve been hearing some exciting things about the Galaxy Note II, so be sure to check out our story timeline below for more information on the current rumors. As always, keep an ear to Android Community, as we’ll have all the details about Samsung’s press event shortly after IFA 2012 kicks off.
Some new rumors are floating around this afternoon regarding Motorola’s upcoming 4G LTE device for the Now Network. And no this isn’t the announcement coming Friday. Motorola’s PHOTON Q 4G LTE was announcedlate last month along with a QWERTY keyboard but now we are hearing it might finally hit the streets in just a few weeks.
For those fans of the original PHOTON 4G, or wanting a slide-out QWERTY keyboard and 4G this could be the phone for you. The PHOTON Q 4G LTE has way too long of a name but lets talk about it for a minute. New rumors are now floating around from PhoneDog that Motorola will indeed be releasing more details, or launching the phone come August 19th.
The new PHOTON is supposed to be the first phone from Motorola that will have a bootloader that can be easily unlocked. For those unfamiliar, Motorola has been the most up tight manufacturer on this front for years and it looks like the Google acquisition might finally be changing that.
The PHOTON Q 4G LTE will rock a 4.3-inch HD display, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, a slide-out QWERTY keyboard and be powered by the same 1.5 GHz dual-core processor in the Galaxy S III and many other smartphones. If everything pans out for Motorola we could see the new phone arrive for the Now Network come Sunday, August 19th. For now stay tuned for additional leaks or details.
Gameloft unleashed the rumor mill last week after posting an awesome picture of their upcoming next generation title for Android and iOS. The game had no name, but we can now confirm is called “Wild Blood” and is their first game to use the wildly popular Unreal Graphics Engine. Unreal is behind the iOS hit Infinity Blade, and multiple games like Gears of War, and now is finally coming to Android full steam.
The first Android game with the Unreal Engine powering the impressive graphics was Dungeon Defenders, but Gameloft’s upcoming bloody battle game will be their best game yet. In what is surely going to be one of their most “Epic” games to date, here’s the first teaser trailer:
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Think God of War mixed with a little Infinity Blade, and this is what you get. Although the trailer didn’t reveal much. Epic Games, the developers behind the Unreal Engine have been powering some of the biggest games to date. From all the Tom Clancy games, Gears of War, Batman Arkham Asylum and City, and tons of others I can’t think of on consoles. Bringing their evolving and extremely visually impressive graphics to Android has been something I’m sure many gamers are excited about.
Gameloft hasn’t shared any details on this upcoming game, but hopefully we’ll know more soon. After waiting almost a week since the first teaser image we now have an actual video. Our initial guess of “Wild Blood” turned out to be right after all. The graphics aren’t quite what I was hoping, but still look impressive. Gameloft teases there is a hint hiding about the story line in the preview. Can any of you spot it? Who’s excited about the just announced Wild Blood?
Say hello to the HTC G1, the first of its kind original Android smartphone. The “when will my phone get updated” story is an overplayed one, but today the G1 has most of you already beat. Today we have a neat video showing the HTC G1 running on Google’s latest Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean. Pretty impressive for such an old phone.
The HTC G1 just won’t die, and we don’t want it to either. After managing to get Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich running on it, those fancy developers at XDA have done the same again with Google’s latest OS. It’s time to dust off that aging and ancient G1 and enjoy some Jelly beans.
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What you see above is a “somewhat” working version of CyanogenMod 10. Obviously with the internals of the G1 things will be slow. You don’t have hardware acceleration or any of the many many things needed to be smooth, but I still enjoyed it.
Obviously with a phone of the G1′s old age we didn’t expect much. It is slow, laggy, choppy, and for the most part broken. The key here is it happened. Someone was able to successfully get it up and running, and usable. Just as the video says, you’ll never use this for your main phone, but it’s fun to dust off the old OG Android and give her a spin.
This is one of the many reasons we love Android, and the entire developer community. Well done guys!
A press image of a new Samsung Galaxy device headed to the folks at T-Mobile has appeared, and along with it comes decent specs and a QWERTY keyboard. The ridiculously long name is the T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy S Blaze Q and we are even hearing this device could launch as soon as August 15th, but that looks pretty unlikely at the moment.
Motorola recently announced the PHOTON Q 4G LTE QWERTY slider for another carrier, and now T-Mobile and Samsung are following suite with a similar option. Adding Q in the name to signify a QWERTY hardware keyboard just like their myTouch Q. If you ask me, these long names are starting to get out of hand.
Back to the device though, the Galaxy S Blaze Q looks to be an overall mid to high-end smartphone for T-Mobile, and we first spotted it back in June. This appears to be a slightly improved Galaxy S Blaze 4G, only with a keyboard of course. The specs include a 720p HD display of unknown size (likely 4.0 inches) and the same 1.5 GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor as the powerful Galaxy S III. It features 1GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is on board too.
Then on bottom is the 5-row slide out QWERTY keyboard that most either love, or hate. We don’t have any further details but being mid-range it will most likely offer a 5 megapixel rear camera too. T-Mobile seems to still be big supporters of the hardware keyboard, and this will make an excellent budget friendly back to school smartphone should they release it this month. We’ll be hearing more soon so stay tuned.
[via TmoNews]
The Kickstarter campaign for OUYA wrapped up earlier this morning, bringing in a grand total of $8,596,475 in funding from 63,416 backers. A mind-numbing figure to be sure, but now it’s time for the OUYA team to get to work on bringing this Android-based console to market. They haven’t wasted any time either, as OUYA pre-orders are now available through the official site.
Looking at the pre-order page, we’re also given an expected ship date. Those who pre-order through the site will begin receiving their consoles in April 2013, one month after Kickstarter backers get theirs. The cost for one console and one controller is $109.00 if you’re living within the United States, while international buyers have to shell out an additional ten dollars. You also have the option of purchasing more controllers with your console, but doing so will naturally cost a bit more money. Still, the cost of an OUYA console and four controllers only comes in at $200, which is pretty inexpensive as far as game consoles go.
It’s good to see the OUYA team hit the ground running, but with the immensely successful Kickstarter campaign now behind us, backers wouldn’t expect anything less. OUYA scored some big partnerships throughout the course of its campaign, announcing team-up with XBMC, OnLive, iHeartRadio, and VEVO, so the console will come complete with some nice bonuses when it arrives next year. There are also plenty of developers pledging support for OUYA, but whether or not they follow through with those pledges will be determined by the console’s success.
Indeed, OUYA has its work cut out for it, because Kickstarter success – though great – is far from actual success at market. There seem to many people who are already very excited for OUYA, however, so perhaps the stage is set for OUYA to take the console world by storm. We hope you’re ready for a ton of hype, because there will be no lack of it as we get closer to OUYA’s 2013 launch date.
Samsung is getting prepared for the school year it seems after we’ve spotted a student bundle deal headed to a Best Buy store near you. Their somewhat popular tablet refresh, the Galaxy Tab 2 in the 7-inch flavor is getting a nicely priced bundle deal just in time for back to school shoppers. Head on down past the break for more details.
It might not be the best tablet around, especially with the Nexus 7 coming onto the scene, but it still packs a decent bunch. You’ll get a sleek design, 7-inch display, a dual-core processor, micro SD support, and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich all for a low price. The Tab 2 7-inch debuted at $249, but it seems they are sticking to that same low price while offering a few included accessories.
Over at Best Buy you’ll be able to snag the Galaxy Tab along with an included Bluetooth keyboard dock and stand. This will keep you typing away with ease in class, and do all sorts of other things like holding it up for reading. Then Samsung tossed in a USB connector to use their proprietary 30-pin port for regular sized USB devices. All of this essentially comes free considering it’s the same $249 price as the tablet initially went for sale at.
According to the folks at Engadget this tablet “student edition” will be available at Best Buy stores nationwide starting on August 19th. It might not be as powerful as the Nexus 7, but it’s thinner, has a keyboard dock, and supports SD cards. This is a pretty good deal if you ask us, and most likely it’ll see Jelly Bean at some point too.
When ASUS announced their new Transformer Pad lineup back at Mobile World Congress they mentioned a 4G LTE model more than a few times. Originally stating a quad-core Tegra 3 TF300 would hit, then be followed with a model that also supported 3G and 4G LTE networks. New reports are stating this LTE version, model TF300TL could arrive in August.
According to multiple reports, including from The Verge, ASUS is preparing to launch their 4G LTE model for Germany, and even Austria. Our first question was what about the US, will we be getting one too? It will be interesting to see if ASUS makes any formal announcements on this tablet.
If you remember, the quad-core Tegra 3 version available now is WiFi only. Back in February ASUS announced the TF300 would be the first quad-core LTE tablet — so that is most likely what will be going up for sale in Germany on O2. If reports are correct the slate is rather pricey too. Coming in around $750 with the keyboard dock.
We are hearing it will be available in all the same color options as the WiFi brother, and can be purchased with or without the optional keyboard dock. Hopefully we learn more details about a possible US release, and we’d love to see the same option in the recently released Infinity Pad TF700 and its 1920 x 1200 HD display. Stay tuned for more details as this looks to be the first quad-core 4G LTE tablet.
Google has unleashed a pretty major update for its Google Translate app, and it adds quite a few things users will find of interest. Most importantly, it adds the ability to translate text from pictures, and it only requires that you snap an image and highlight the text you want to translate with your finger. Google takes care of the rest after that, but it should be noted that this feature requires an Internet connection to work, so it may not be a good idea to translate every sign you see while globetrotting unless you’ve got access to a Wi-Fi network.
Another to thing to note is that this functionality is only available with Android 2.3 Gingerbread and higher. If you’re using an older version of Android, we’re sorry to say that you’re being left out in the cold with this one. This image translate feature is joining Google Translate’s support for 64 languages, 17 of which are supported by voice-to-text functionality. Indeed, Google Translate has become quite feature-packed since launch.
Speaking of voice translation, this update also helps improve that feature by adding dialect preferences. The app will now begin automatically translating while you’re typing, and increases support for Japanese characters, adding the ability to recognize multiple characters at once. You can grab it right now from the Google Play Storefor the very reasonable price of absolutely nothing.
These additions will undoubtedly be appreciated by those who use Google Translate on a frequent basis, and it makes us pretty excited for the seemingly not-too-distant future. As time goes on, Google Translate will become even more feature-rich, which is definitely something to look forward to. Check out our story timeline below for more posts on Google Translate!
HTC has announced a time frame for the update to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich for many of its devicesthrough Facebook. The company was responding to a flood of users asking when their particular device will be getting the ICS update, such as the Thunderbolt and Desire S. The time frame given for both of those devices was “by the end of August,” so watch out HTC faithful, because it looks like you’ll be getting Ice Cream Sandwich pretty quickly here.
HTC also says that the update will roll out to all of the devices “that have been announced” by the end of the month too, meaning that any devices left over from the company’s recent ICS update frenzy – such as theDROID Incredible 2 – should be taken care of by the time September arrives. HTC does warn that while it’s planning to have the Desire S update out the door by the end of August, it may not be able to so. Should that end up being the case, HTC promises that it will update Desire S owners about any kind of delay.
The Desire S was originally supposed to get the update to Ice Cream Sandwich back in June or July, but when HTC cancelled the ICS update for the Desire HD, a lot of Desire S owners were worried that the company would cancel their update as well. That doesn’t appear to be the case, so Desire S owners can breathe a sigh of relief. The Thunderbolt was scheduled to get Ice Cream Sandwich sometime in July or August, so as long as HTC delivers the update by the end of the month, it will still be within its original time frame.
Of course, things don’t always go as planned, so it’s possible that HTC may miss the window it has given itself to get ICS on these phones. It sounds like HTC is pretty confident that it can get the update by out the end of the month, but just in case, you might not want to get your hopes too terribly high. We’ll update you if HTC announces a delay for any of these handsets, so keep an ear to Android Community
Today we have the one and only Samsung Galaxy Beam smartphone to show everyone. This isn’t actually the one and only, as Samsung’s released a phone with the same name in 2010. This is a new and improved Galaxy Beam — just don’t look into the light. What we have here is a decently powerful mid-range smartphone, complete with a 15 lumen bright Texas Instruments DLP (Digital Light Processing) pico projector. If you want to stream movies to the wall in your room — this phones for you. Head on down for our full review.
The Galaxy Beam is a unique device indeed. It’s a great mid-range smartphone, and a decent pocket pico projector too. It won’t have some expensive projector specs, but for what they’re offering it is a great device. This might not be what you had in mind when considering a smartphone, but this is a great phone for more than just a business professional. Check out our full review and multiple videos below. Hardware The Galaxy Beam has been equipped with some rather decent specs from Samsung, only just not a processor that is widely known. Instead of Qualcomm or Texas Instruments it runs on a Novathor 1.0 GHz dual-core processor (U8500), has 768MB of RAM, and 8GB of internal storage. Equipped with a 4-inch 480 x 800 resolution display, Android 2.3 Gingerbread, and a pair of cameras. Nicely you get a massive 2,000 mAh battery, and Samsung has two in the box should you run out while showing a presentation.
The entire device measures in at 124 x 64.2 x 12.5mm at 145g light. The Beam might not be the lightest, or the thinnest around but the simple fact that it also is packing along a projector makes it full of win. It’s a little on the heavy side, but not when you take into account the double package it offers. We’ll talk more on the DLP projector below so for now here’s a quick rundown on the hardware and a quick overview in our hands-on and unboxing video.
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On the side you have a dedicated on/off for the projector, that happens to be near where Samsung usually has the regular power button. I found myself occasionally hitting that but you have to long press so won’t need to worry about accidentally turning on the projector. The right side also features a micro-SD slot as you saw above. Then on to the left side is the 3.5 jack, volume rocker, and of course the Sim slot for HSPA+ support. We’re using T-Mobile here stateside since this was launched outside of the US. Overall I’m really enjoying the feel and durability of the phone. It feels very sturdy and nice in the hand, the weight gives it a premium feel, and the rubber coating on the back makes for a comfortable grip during usage. Since this is more than just a projector, and also a smartphone, you’ll be happy to know its a great mid-range smartphone too. Should you never use the projector this would still be highly acceptable as a regular everyday smartphone. Software The software is nothing new here from Samsung. We get the aging Android 2.3 Gingerbread with Samsung’s usual Touch Wiz changes, and if you’ve ever used a Samsung phone you’ll feel right at home. You saw the software in my video above, but here’s a few screenshots of the installed apps save for a few I downloaded myself.
The Novathor processor keeps Android smooth and steady, the software isn’t anything new and the only important part here is the projector app — which we’ll dive into shortly. Apps, games, and YouTube works great on the 4-inch screen, and are even better being projected to 50-inches on my wall.
Since this is more about the projector we’ll also take this moment to talk about performance. Benchmarks were average at best for a dual-core. Scoring higher than some Tegra 2 devices you’ll have no problem with any games, or streaming video to the projector. Quadrant breaks 2,700 and AntuTu was decent as shown below. Benchmarks are just that, benchmarks, and real world usage was just fine. Projector Here’s where things get exciting. We’re rocking a Texas Instruments DLP projector capable of beaming (beam me up Scotty) a 50-inch picture. The resolution is only nHD at 640×360 but it scales extremely well and 50-inches still looks crisp, and brightness is rather impressive. I took it much larger, but color reproduction and brightness struggles, which was expected. You get 15 lumens of brightness, and well over 3 hours of continuous usage. The options here also vary and they give you a few fun features. From drawing on screen to full over-head projection mode. This uses the camera and will project the image for top-down views like a formal presentation.
For the many usage scenarios Samsung lists: personal theater, fun group sharing, mood generator, outdoor entertainment, professional presentations, education, and room decoration amongst your options. I’ve been streaming Olympics (volleyball if anyone caught that below) over the past few days and came away highly impressed with this Galaxy Beam. I could see myself taking this camping too. Check out our hands-on demonstration below
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From the many fun uses, you also have the professional aspects. Give a presentation at work, show a slideshow to the class and more. The options are only limited by creativity, and the amount of space/light you have to work with. To be honest we love reviewing many things here at Android Community, but many are the same in too many ways — that isn’t the case with the Beam. This is an awesome little device. Battery and Camera Samsung’s equipped the Galaxy Beam with not one, but two large 2,000 mAh battery options. They even give you a stand-alone charger so you can do an entire 3 hour presentation with one, then toss in the second so you aren’t without your smartphone for the rest of the work day. Smart indeed. They promise 3 hours of projector use as long as the device screen is off, and I watched a full 2 hour movie with about 26% left — so that seems highly accurate.
As far as regular usage. For a smartphone with a medium speed dual-core processor, a small 4-inch screen that isn’t HD, and no 4G LTE this 2,000 mAh battery will last you more than the entire day. You’ll have no problem with battery life, and then even have an extra should you play games all day too. This gets some top of the barrel battery life as just a smartphone.
The camera is 5 megapixels and is pretty average at best. It records 720p video should you have the need, and the VGA front is there for those who video chat. The camera was decent but the shutter speed could have been faster. Overall results were about as expected. Here’s a sample with a few more below.
Galaxy Beam camera sample
Wrap-Up Is that Samsung Galaxy Beam a unique or niche device? You betcha! Does is also function perfectly as a very acceptable Android smartphone? Absolutely. Yes the processor and lack of HD resolution is a little behind the times, but these same specs come with many budget phones, only this one packs a projector too. If you need a pico projector as well as a smartphone but don’t need the absolute best of either, this is a great choice. Don’t look into the light, turn away from it! (name the movie)
It isn’t every day we get to review a smartphone with a unique capability such as this one, and I found it rather exciting and fun to use. We wouldn’t recommend buying it on the projector feature alone, but someone with the occasional need will love it. I’ll certainly be taking this camping with me in the future. The impressively fun Samsung Galaxy Beam is available as we speak internationally. Mainly in the UK, France, Singapore, India and Brazil — and we hope it will be coming to the US soon because it’s quite the little phone.
